Casa do Frango, London Bridge: real Portuguese piri piri chicken, and a secret bar behind an unmarked door

If the mention of piri piri chicken makes you think Nando’s, we need to talk.

We love the occasional cheeky Nando’s as much as the rest of the UK, but you really need to experience the magic that is real Portuguese piri piri chicken to understand what Casa do Frango is doing differently. We’re talking slow-roasted over wood charcoal, brushed with a closely guarded blend of spices that the kitchen won’t give up. If your mouth is already watering, you’re getting the right idea.

The original site occupies a converted 19th-century industrial warehouse a short walk from Borough Market and London Bridge, all vaulted ceilings, arched windows and exposed brickwork, greenery draping down from skylights overhead. It’s grown since opening, the restaurant has expanded to take over the ground floor of the same building too, formerly home to Native, giving the space even more room across two floors for groups and events.

The piri piri chicken is unmissable, obviously, caramelised skin, deep flavour, the kind of dish that makes a strong case for itself before you’ve even tried anything else on the menu. But there’s plenty more worth ordering alongside it: proper Portuguese wine, a broad list of sides and sharing plates, and, when you’re ready for something sweet, Portuguese custard tarts that hold their own against anywhere else in London doing them. Everything’s made fresh in-house from locally sourced ingredients, and it shows in how the flavours come together rather than feeling assembled from a supplier catalogue.

Here’s the detail most people don’t know until someone tells them: behind an unmarked door on the first floor sits The Green Room, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar hidden inside the main restaurant. It’s a genuinely fun discovery if you stumble on it, and worth seeking out deliberately if you don’t, a sultry, low-lit space that feels a world away from the wood-charcoal buzz of the dining room below.

The atmosphere throughout leans lively rather than intimate, this is a restaurant built for groups and celebrations as much as quiet dinners, and the noise level reflects that. If you’re after a hushed, romantic evening, look elsewhere. If you’re after somewhere with genuine energy and food to match, this delivers.

The London x London Take: Casa do Frango does one thing brilliantly, real Portuguese piri piri chicken, cooked properly over wood charcoal, and builds a genuinely fun, buzzy restaurant around it. The hidden Green Room bar upstairs is the kind of detail that makes a good restaurant feel like a proper discovery. Bring an appetite and a group.

Rating: 4/5

Need to know

• Address: 32 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TU
• Nearest station: London Bridge (5-minute walk)
• Website: casadofrango.co.uk
• Booking: Recommended, particularly for groups; not on the OpenTable network so book directly
• Visited: August 2026